Titans Pro-Bowler singled out in latest rankings
Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard, a two time Pro-Bowler and two time All-Pro, was recently singled out on a list that shows just how special of a talent he is. Byard landed at number five on a recent list of the top 10 coverage players of 2021 from NFL.com. The list was made using NextGen […]
Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard, a two time Pro-Bowler and two time All-Pro, was recently singled out on a list that shows just how special of a talent he is.
Byard landed at number five on a recent list of the top 10 coverage players of 2021 from NFL.com.
The list was made using NextGen stats to track which players are consistently impacting the passing offense of their opponent. According to the article published from Nick Shook, players on the list all had to meet the following requirements:
- Minimum of 300 coverage snaps
- 40 targets as the nearest defender + catch rate allowed below expectation (breaking up passes that should have been completions)
- Negative targeted expected points added (quantifies how much an individual player impacts an opponents' scoring potential)
- Tight-window percentage of at least 20
- Maximum passer rating allowed of 80
Byard was rated the fifth best coverage player in all of football, and to make it even better, he was the onlysafety to qualify for the list. It's not hard to see why.
Byard’s ballhawk rate of 25.5 percent was the best in the NFL. He led all safeties in interceptions (5) and passes defensed (13). According to Shook, Byard was also versatile enough to take on any matchup:
“He was especially effective at taking away perceived mismatches, finishing with the lowest passer rating allowed (min. 15 targets) when covering tight ends at 15.1. In these rankings, he's the best at his position.”
This list and the numbers just confirm what Titans fans already know. Kevin Byard is a unique talent that has the ability to anchor an entire defense and disrupt a game single-handedly. Thanks to NextGen stats, there’s now a way to quantify his impact and compare it to the league’s best.
As mentioned earlier, Byard was the only safety to make the top 10, and the only cornerbacks with higher rating were Patrick Surtain II (DEN), Rasul Douglas (GB), J.C. Jackson (LAC), and A.J. Terrell (ATL).
The Titans’ secondary surrounding Byard is wildly talented and incredibly young. The list of young DBs that are projected to have an impact on the 2022 Titans is a long one. Farley, Fulton, Hooker, McCreary, Molden, and Jackson. All under the age of 24.
During last week’s OTAs, the secondary jumped out to me as a unit that was excelling and making consistent plays on the football. It has long been a Mike Vrabel philosophy to be aggressive on defense and look to create turnovers, and this unit is doing just that. Make no mistake, that process starts with Kevin Byard, and as the numbers show, he’s one the best out there at being disruptive with the ball in the air.
As the young defenders in the Titans defense look to embrace and adopt the ballhawk mentality, it’s nice to know they’re learning from the best.
Image via Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
